Yang Peimin listened for a while as the child finished eating, and then Yang Peiying came in to call her for dinner.
Everyone sat down at the dining table and continued the conversation they had started earlier.
Chen Guizhi spoke, “She’s the youngest in the family, and the one I worry about most. You’re in a completely new place there, and none of our girls have ever married off to somewhere so far away. If something were to happen, we’d be helplessly unaware, completely in the dark. What do you think we should do? It would be different if you were here. Following the military, with her brother looking after things, it’s like me coming here to take care of my grandchild—I get to see him often enough.”
Lu Haijun then asserted that he would strive for a promotion as soon as possible to meet the conditions for her accompanying him in the military. Even if she didn’t accompany him, he would not send Shen Yixiang back to her parental home, as he had siblings at his place who could take care of the elders.
They discussed these matters for a while before Chen Guizhi started inquiring about his family’s situation in detail, probing into the personalities of each family member.
It was then that Yang Peimin realized her mother-in-law had a kind of subtle diligence. Asking these questions seemed ordinary at first, but more thought revealed that it uncovered a lot of information.
For example, “These last couple of years, the harvest has been good. People in our area are more secure and thinking about raising more livestock. Does your family raise any? Who takes care of them? These tasks may seem simple, but take pigs for instance—they need almost as much attention as people…”
Then Lu Haijun said his sister-in-law took care of it.
Chen Guizhi carried on, asking how meat from a butchered pig was divided, who controlled the cooking at home, how many meals they ate a day, whether his siblings were still attending school, how many children his brothers had, and so on, asking in meticulous detail.
Yang Peimin expressed admiration.
Even raising a few livestock could indirectly indicate if the family was lazy.
Who managed the kitchen chores was a question of whether his mother was domineering or petty, and also indicated the family’s wealth. Since food had been scarce in previous years, some mothers-in-law wouldn’t allow their daughters-in-law to handle grain for fear of theft. They would manage it themselves, taking control of both the grain and the kitchen.
Shen Yixiang, however, was just amazed, only knowing that her mother could really go on, making her feel slightly embarrassed.
But Lu Haijun answered each question, seriously and respectfully. For more chapters visit NoveI-Fire.ɴet
Shen Yiguang nodded from the sidelines.
From Yang Peimin’s perspective, this Lu Haijun seemed very promising.
Finally, Lu Haijun mentioned that his mother and younger sister had come over for a visit, and that they would leave in a couple of days. Knowing he was now courting someone, his mother hoped to see Shen Yixiang.
After the meal, Chen Guizhi was fairly satisfied. Despite the distance from her home, she nodded her approval, seeing how much Shen Yixiang liked him.
So, hearing him say this, Chen Guizhi also agreed.
Shen Yixiang was overjoyed.
The meeting was set for the next day, which coincided with Shen Yiguang’s return to the army early in the morning, allowing Shen Yixiang to go back with him.
After Lu Haijun left, Shen Yixiang began discussing with Chen Guizhi about their visit to Mrs. Lu’s place the next day, wondering what gifts to bring.
Since Chen Guizhi had agreed, she didn’t say much, and the two of them began to whisper together about it.
Yang Peimin glanced at Shen Yiguang and noticed he hadn’t been talking much, making Lu Haijun appear somewhat jittery. Thinking Shen might not be in high spirits, she decided to take him out for a walk, carrying their son to the nearby park.
Shen Yiguang took the child from her arms, his face finally breaking into a smile, “This is our son’s first stroll with mom and dad.”
Yang Peimin touched Lele’s little hand, relieved to feel it warm and soft. The wind had picked up, and she worried about the child catching cold, but finding his hands and the back of his neck still warm, she felt reassured.
Hearing Shen Yiguang say this, she smiled too, “Yes, he doesn’t realize it now. When he gets a little bigger, I bet he’ll be fussing to come out and play. I’ve seen a kid, just six months old, who knew he had to go out every day. If he didn’t get to, he would cry. These little guys seem small, but they actually know quite a lot.”
Shen Yiguang was genuinely intrigued, “Yeah, this kid seems pretty smart.”
Yang Peimin shook her head, “I think all children are clever in their own way. It’s just their temperament that differs. Our Lele seems calm so far; you rarely hear him cry. It’s probably because mom takes such good care of him, so he doesn’t get a chance to cry.”
Two-month-old Lele, cradled in Shen Yiguang’s arms, was amusing himself by blowing spit bubbles. Yang Peimin watched him and laughed, “Look at him, entertaining himself.”
Shen Yiguang looked down and was surprised to find that the two-month-old had actions other than crying and laughing, “Who says he’s calm? I think he’s a mischievous little player.” His lip service belied the affectionate smile spreading across his face.
Yang Peimin was also amazed. Though she’d always liked children, she tended to interact more with those who could talk and understand; she hadn’t realized how entertaining a few-months-old child could be, “Oh my, how adorable.”
He seemed like a lively one.
Yang Peimin thought she should start a diary to document their child’s growth and keep the memories to cherish later on.
Then Shen Yiguang started talking about his plans for the child’s future, still centered around his dream of being a soldier.
Yang Peimin just shook her head, not responding to him.
Shen Yiguang freed a hand to tousle her hair roughly.
Yang Peimin, clutching her head, ran away.
After walking for a while, they circled back. It was time for Lele’s nap; at this stage, he would sleep for eighteen or nineteen hours a day. However, perhaps due to the excitement of being out, the little one’s eyes were wide and showed no sign of sleepiness, which Yang Peimin wouldn’t tolerate. She didn’t want to mess up his biological clock by letting him stay awake.
“Feeling better after the walk?”
Shen Yiguang raised an eyebrow at her, “When was I ever in a bad mood?”
“Weren’t you a bit upset about Yixiang’s situation? I didn’t see you talk much earlier.”
Shen Yiguang shook his head smilingly, “Mom has already spoken, what more could I add? Lu Haijun isn’t that bad. Since I agreed to let him come over, there’s nothing to be unhappy about. Otherwise, I would have just rejected him straight away. I really didn’t expect it, but after I increased his workload for half a year and trained him hard, the guy did well on a special mission. The higher-ups took notice and are planning to promote him, to platoon leader.”
Yang Peimin laughed as well, “Lu Haijun is really lucky. Not only did he find a partner, but he also got a promotion thanks to his partner’s brother. If he ever dares to treat Yixiang poorly in the future, we’ll see if we don’t skin him.”
Shen Yiguang nodded and said with a laughing tone, “If he ever betrays his conscience, we’ll send him back home to farm the land.”
The matter between Shen Yixiang and Lu Haijun had been formally settled.